Tonight I have a little sour taste in my mouth after
experiencing a few surprising things about a city I thought I was falling in
love with. It all started when I decided
to take a walk along the popular riverside tourist spot of Sisowath Quay,
better know at the riverside walk.
It goes without saying that the more you travel the more you
gain in confidence; dealing with people, overcoming language barriers, being
streetwise and avoiding the ‘danger’ areas…especially in large cities. So as I
strolled along in the early part of the evening, enjoying (now that I’m use to
it) the heat and late sunshine, absorbing the colours, the sights and the
smells of this beautiful part of the city I found myself thinking about travelling
companions who, let me say, are not the most trusting souls in the world when
it comes to city people or natives of the city to be more precise. As I watched the people sitting in family groups
eating, chatting and having fun together, children playing and even a few
serious games of kick volleyball going on I thought to myself, are my travelling
friends missing out on potential experiences, sharing the ‘real’ adventure of
travel? All felt good, all felt calm; I
even had a family sit next to me as I watched the amazing skills of the kick
volleyball players who are able to back kick the ball above the net and their
heads! The family (locals) engaged with
me as their baby sat next to me and reached to play with the bracelets on my
wrist and then looking at me in amazement at what I believe was the colour of
my skin…Laughs and giggles ensued and finally as they were leaving asked if I minded
having a photo taken with their son.
They left happy and I left thinking how nice they all were and how they
had given me a ‘travelling experience’ without even realising it. Something my cynical friends may miss out on.
I continued my journey along to my intended destination, the
night markets, which I had already been to the previous week but felt a little bit
of retail therapy was needed…this being the perfect spot as most things are
cheap, especially if you haggle, as everything has a deal. Before reaching the markets I was approached
by a well dressed gentleman (smart shirt, trousers, shoes, clean shaven) who
spoke in very good English. “Can I just
ask where you got your shoes?” he said.
Now immediately I should have questioned his intentions as I was wearing
my three year old Croc flip flops. “Are
they comfortable to walk in? He said with real interest in them. I told him how I had actually bought them
from the Central Market in this city three years earlier and yes they were very
comfortable. Having the earlier
experience with the family had given me a false sense of security as I happily
chatted with this well spoken Asian gentleman, who I now think was Pilipino. We
even sat down and chatted about English football and Sunderland AFC’s new manager
signing. He then mentioned his sister
who was actually awaiting a visa to go and work as a nurse/carer with old
people, ironically in the North East of England (where I’m from). The conversation flitted from one thing to
another until his phone rang…I did think his telephone conversation a little
strange but threw any negative thoughts out of my mind. We started chatting again and then he asked
would I be willing to chat to his sister before her departure to England and
let her know the state of play in England regarding the local area and
immigration etc. I of course being ‘the confident
traveller’ graciously accepted his offer, thinking all the while how enriched
my life will be. I suggested meeting at
my hotel for a coffee but he says “its Asian tradition to invite the person to
their house for food”. I was once
invited for tea by an ex Buddha teacher in India and the memories of that day
stay strong in my ‘travel experiences’…why would this experience be any
different? He then suggested meeting at the new mal in town as that was easier
for him. We parted company shaking hands,
agreeing a time and with a genuine smile on our faces…
Walking around the night markets little niggling doubts entered my mind and dissipated quickly…the confident traveller in me, like a druggy, wanting his fix of ‘travelling experiences’. The walk home back to the hotel allowed a little more contemplation time and I kept thinking I don’t want my doubting travelling companions niggling lack of trust in people generally to effect the outcome of my earlier rendezvous…Did I tell the guy too much? Yes! Did I give him answers that he didn’t ask for? Yes! Would he really pick me out from a crowd and ask about a pair of three year old flip flops? No! I know it is easy to reflect on it now and see how unbelievably naive I was…The whole thing looks to have been a scam…Fortunately this tale has a happy ending as nothing happened as a little bit of research revealed a far too similar scenario for some other travellers. (See this article and read the comments below it: https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/cambodia/avoiding-rip-offs-and-scams-in-cambodia ) I didn’t meet the guy!
Walking around the night markets little niggling doubts entered my mind and dissipated quickly…the confident traveller in me, like a druggy, wanting his fix of ‘travelling experiences’. The walk home back to the hotel allowed a little more contemplation time and I kept thinking I don’t want my doubting travelling companions niggling lack of trust in people generally to effect the outcome of my earlier rendezvous…Did I tell the guy too much? Yes! Did I give him answers that he didn’t ask for? Yes! Would he really pick me out from a crowd and ask about a pair of three year old flip flops? No! I know it is easy to reflect on it now and see how unbelievably naive I was…The whole thing looks to have been a scam…Fortunately this tale has a happy ending as nothing happened as a little bit of research revealed a far too similar scenario for some other travellers. (See this article and read the comments below it: https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/cambodia/avoiding-rip-offs-and-scams-in-cambodia ) I didn’t meet the guy!
Today, I got my sensible head on again and thought right I’ll
go to Central Markets (more retail therapy) pick up a few bargains and then
possibly get a haircut too. Arriving at
a good time 0900 hours, I started my exploration around the tightly interwoven
stalls, selling everything from scarves to statues, earphones to nail polishing…After
the hundredth “Can I help you sir?” “Would you like to buy something sir? “ I
was done and needed a coffee…”Tuk Tuk Sir?” was shouted by every male as I left…hassle
hassle hassle! Arrrrrrggggggh! Just leave me alone! I just
needed to be left to myself so I could absorb…it wasn’t going to happen. Eventually I made it to the freedom of the chaotic
roads and almost stumbled on a hairdressers almost immediately…$4 for a cut….Bargain
I thought and sat in the chair in a little oasis of freedom but still enjoying the
hustle and bustle around me and watched with intrigue a man have his ears
cleaned, the girl doing the cleaning looking proud when she brought out some
waxy objects from the depths of his cochlear. While in the middle of my haircut I was asked
if, ok it was indicated that, I needed my fingernails done…I thought why not…the
lady then wanted to do my toenails…in for a penny I thought… The total for the
lot including the haircut (a good job
too) came to $8. Only then did I realise
something else was being offered…which apparently was upstairs…and with a
choice of suitable assistants from young to old. I was caught off guard but declined respectfully
and made my way back onto the busy streets.
I was desperate for a coffee and stopped around the corner at a roadside
coffee shop…within seconds a woman approached making light conversation, my ‘Traveller
senses’ now alive, I realised
immediately this was hooker corner…I looked around the coffee bar and five smiling
faces glared back at me. I made short
work of the coffee and high-tailed it out of there and back to the freedom of
my hotel.
As the day drew to a close I found myself at the local park,
a great place just to people watch and let time go by. Located just at the
bottom of the road from my hotel, group
dancers were doing their thing, lads were playing football and children were running
around having fun. No hassle from anyone, not even from the street vendors
selling amazing little hot snacks and every style imaginable of drink. Phnom Penh was back and my love affair was
starting all over again…
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